Ran into Lions PR man Bill Keenist leaving Dallas Monday, and he made this point: If not for the late-game ridiculousness in games of Dec. 19 in New Jersey and Tampa, the Packers would not be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy today.

Keenist is right. Green Bay finished 10-6, the last Wild Card team and sixth seed in the NFC, by virtue of winning tiebreakers with the 10-6 Giants and 10-6 Bucs. We all know the Giants story: Up 31-10 over Philly at home with eight minutes left in the game, the Giants gave up 28 points in the last half of the fourth quarter and lost 38-31. The killer was punter Matt Dodge blowing the game and keeping a punt to DeSean Jackson inbounds with 14 seconds left in a 31-all game. Jackson returned it 65 yards for a touchdown. Who knows what would have happened if that game went to overtime, but that'll stay a mystery.

The Detroit game, in many ways, was more painful because of who the Lions are. They hadn't won a road game in three years. They were in Tampa, trailing by a field goal with two minutes left, playing third-string quarterback Drew Stanton. He led a field-goal drive to tie it. The Lions won the toss in overtime. Stanton led another long drive to win it in overtime.

Dave Rayner kicked the tying and winning field goals that afternoon in Tampa Bay. He was Green Bay's kicker in 2006, the one fired to make way for new Super Bowl champion Mason Crosby.

Without the ex-Packer to help the current Packers, Green Bay's players would be in the fifth week of their offseason today, not getting confetti and love and cheers showed on them in Lambeau Field. Football is a funny game sometimes.

ya its freaking unbelievable ... alls I know is that before the giants game the bookies gave great odds for a GB SB win ... ya I didnt take em (missed it last year so errr) ... but after the week 17 win and the WC win over the eagles I jumped on some digits ...

I think this article is wrong. if giants win then eagles don't get in.

We owned head-to-head's against both the Eagles and Giants. However, the Eagles did lose two games after beating the Giants so there could have been a chance of both of them making it.

I just think it's a bit stupid to argue hypotheticals in hindsight.

It is stupid, but I still think the article is wrong, lol.

&quot said:

1. Apply division tie breaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tie breaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.

I think that means if both Giants and Eagles made it, only one of them would have gotten in?

If Tampa Bay beat the Lions, then the game against the @Saints would have meant a lot to the Saints because they'd have to win to get in. I don't remember if they kept starters in or not, but I believe they had their spot locked in the playoffs.

Hell if I know ... the only team I'm thanking is the Green Bay Packers and I think this is just a way for Peter King to slight the Packers accomplishment. Yes, I'm being petty about it. I don't get any other angle other than he was told to pump out a story an he lacks creativity, which I know he doesn't.

King's a good writer for the most part, but he often lapses into this kind of garbage. I view it less as slighting the Packers' accomplishment than as a statement about how various teams' fates are intertwined in the NFL. Pretty mundane stuff, really. I was only mildly irritated by it.

Personally... it proves just how close the margin is in this league to winning it all and sitting an watching another team win it.

That isn't anything new.. just a very solid illustration of that point, IMO.

that about sums it up - we were that close to having our offseason chatter 1 month earlier. IMO we all knew we were a much better team then most of the other NFL teams.

Simple as this - we had our opportunity and our players/coaches did not let us down. They rose to the challenge and IMO like I talked about all during the preseason. Its the heart of this team - its that that won us the championship.

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